Debate over official's firing continues

Wednesday

Nov 7, 2012 at 8:22 PM

Some call it petty politics and others a necessary change, but it's clear the two amendments voters approved to Lafourche Parish's Home Rule Charter will not bring the parish president and council closer.

Xerxes WilsonStaff Writer

Some call it petty politics and others a necessary change, but it's clear the two amendments voters approved to Lafourche Parish's Home Rule Charter will not bring the parish president and council closer. Voters chose to amend the parish's governing charter twice Tuesday. The first change requires all future parish administrators live in the parish, and the second change fired the current administrator, Crystal Chiasson, because she lives in Assumption Parish."I'm disappointed," Parish President Charlotte Randolph said Wednesday about the removal of Chiasson, who she called a "friend." Chiasson's office will be vacated by the first week of December. She was appointed administrator in 2008.The administrator is the parish's top executive under Randolph. The position includes overseeing grants, contracts, personnel matters and paying for projects. The charter requires such vacancies be filled in 60 days. Randolph said she anticipates recruiting someone without advertising before going to the council for approval."It is going to be an arduous process recruiting someone in light of the current situation," Randolph said, alluding to the council's criticism of the administrator. "While we have plenty of qualified people here, we don't have many people open to that. They could be appointed one week and dismissed two weeks later." Randolph emphasized she understands parish residents want the administrator to be from the parish but said the amendment to fire Chiasson was presented by certain council members only to spite her. "It is somewhat baffling that this parish is doing so well and that a few (councilmen) seek to destroy or undermine the success we have without reason except they hate me," Randolph said. Councilman John Arnold was opposed to the residency requirement and removal of Chiasson and said the council is too caught up with "cat and mouse games" to be productive as it should. "The council is split in half and that is a shame," Arnold said. "We keep putting down or off important issues for personal vendettas."The president noted she didn't want to "paint the council with a broad brush" and reserved her sharpest criticism for two councilmen: Jerry Jones and Daniel Lorraine. "It is the Tom and Jerry and Daniel show," Randolph said. Legislative Internal Auditor Tommy Lasseigne is "doing the legwork, while Daniel and Jerry are telling him what to do to undermine the success we've had. It is very disturbing." Randolph said Jones has pushed the measure to avenge her June appointment of Joni Tuck asdirector of the Department of Community Services, which Jones opposed. Jones has historically been Randolph's ally. But since the appointment, he has clashed with Randolph and supported several initiatives that were either antagonistic to or encroaching on the administration's authority."The appointment has nothing to do with this," Jones said Wednesday afternoon. Jones said his reasoning is two fold — the first being to clear up a potential quandary created by Chiasson's residence if she were needed to take over duties of the parish. He also said the measure was specifically to oust Chiasson, who he accuses of lying and having a poor job performance. "Tommy and Daniel have nothing to do with this either," Jones said. "The administration lies, and I'm tired of hearing them put blame on other people."Jones said he was specifically referring to lies tied to the parish's Community Action grant money and blamed Chiasson for the parish losing a weatherization grant program late last year.That grant program is the most prominent example Jones and other use to allege Chiasson's incompetence, but Arnold and other say it isn't a fair claim. Weatherization was a federal grant program administered by the parish that paid workers to seal cracks and other openings in homes to make them more efficient and lead to lower energy bills. Last year, the program was found to be running short on money though they had not completed all the homes tied to the grant money. Arnold said the program's grant money wasn't managed properly by the Office of Community Action and its former director, Freddia Ruffin-Roberson.Once it was discovered the program was running low on money, the administration pushed the council to transfer money into it but was rejected twice in December."The administration went to the council, and if they would have approved the transfer, then the program would still be in the parish," Arnold said.He noted that Jones supported the failed effort to move the money."It isn't fair (Jones) tried to put that on Crystal," Arnold said.Chiasson has also denied blame for the program's loss and subsequent layoffs. Weatherization work in Lafourche is now administered by St. Mary Parish. Lorraine shares Jones' concerns."The people are finally waking up and seeing that the administration just lies to the council and to the parish," Lorraine said. "I voted to appoint (Chiasson) the first time to give her a chance, but she is no administrator."Lorraine said the recent firings of Ruffin-Roberson, Office of Community Action director, and Public Information Officer Logan Banks are examples of situations where the council has been kept in the dark. "They said to do the right thing," Lorraine said, referring to the catch-phrase of Chiasson's campaign against the amendments. "Well. I did the right thing and voted yes, and I think Charlotte Randolph lost a puppet."